12 Facts About Mitch Leigh

Mitch Leigh began his career as a jazz musician, and writing commercials for radio and television.

In 1965, Mitch Leigh collaborated with lyricist Joe Darion and writer Dale Wasserman to write a musical based on Wasserman's 1959 television play, I, Don Quixote.

Mitch Leigh followed with the show Chu Chem, which he produced, exactly a year after Man of La Mancha, but closed on the road.

Mitch Leigh produced and wrote the music for Sarava which ran for 101 performances in 1979.

Mitch Leigh both produced and directed the 1985 revival of The King and I starring Brynner featuring in his final performances as the King of Siam.

Lee Adams asked Mitch Leigh to collaborate on a musical titled Mike, about producer Mike Todd, but it closed during its pre-Broadway tryout in 1988.

Mitch Leigh wrote the musical Halloween with Sidney Michaels, and although Barbara Cook and Jose Ferrer were in the cast, it did not reach Broadway.

Mitch Leigh had one child from his first marriage and two from his second, one of whom is playwright Eve Leigh.

Mitch Leigh died from complications of a stroke and pneumonia at a Manhattan hospital on March 16,2014, at the age of 86.

Mitch Leigh planned to turn it into a mixed-use development called "Jackson 21".

Mitch Leigh won a Tony Award for composing the music for Man of La Mancha.

Mitch Leigh was nominated for a Tony Award as the director of the 1985 revival of The King and I Mitch Leigh received the Contemporary Classics Award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame for "The Impossible Dream".